Renewed

Learning the Way - Renewed

The message this week described two different ways of making decisions. The first seeks to please yourself, while the second seeks to please God. The first starts out being easy, but over time, as sin grows, it becomes more and more difficult. The second starts out being much more difficult, but over time becomes easier as we become more aware of God’s grace in our lives.

Several examples made this much more real. We looked at how anger can grow from affecting just one relationship, to eventually affecting all of our relationships. Read Ephesians 4:26-27 and Proverbs 18:1 and 1 Corinthians 13:7. This is a great example of the previous messages ‘putting off and putting on’. We put off our desire to do the easy, self-serving thing, and instead do the more difficult thing of seeking to please God with our decisions. Other examples given included selfishness and complaining.

Where do you struggle with anger, selfishness, or complaining? If the people who are around you most often were given a poll, what would you be known for? Would it be complaining or anger? Or would it be some of the fruits of the spirit? Talk with your group about these and other areas in your life where you find it difficult to make decisions that please God rather than pleasing yourself.

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
2 Corinthians 5:9 ESV memory verse for the week